It’s weird to lose someone you were friends with, but never met in real life. Eric was the moderator of a television message board I used to visit in 2002 – 2003. He had created this haven for fans of a few TV shows (Angel and Buffy, mainly) who were fed up with the crappiness of Ain’t It Cool News but not keen on the draconian levels of moderation at a place like Television Without Pity. I met some great people there- it was my favorite place to hang out online during the horror of my semester in Los Angeles. Anyway, eventually the boards got kind of unwieldy, some of the posters started annoying me, and I wanted to find a place where staying on topic was more rigidly enforced. (Also, I was the only person who loved cooking shows.) So I left for the draconian levels of moderation at Television Without Pity. I visited occasionally, but didn’t post anymore. Now tragedy has struck, and I feel awful for ditching those boards and the people on them. I guess that’s my own guilt and selfishness dealing with the situation. I’m sorry. Here’s to Eric. He was a good friend.